Danger loads, the Regs, 5
Page 49
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SCHEDULE 4 of the Dangerous Substances (Conveyance by Road Tanker and Tank containers) Regulations 1981 Jeals with the delivery of petrol 3t petrol stations and other premises licensed to store 100,000 litres (22,000 gallons) or less of petroleum spirit.
Where there is more than one storage tank, each tank, its dipstick and any pipe leading from a filling point to the tank must be clearly numbered so that there can be no doubt to which tank a delivery is to be made. One can appreciate the danger which would arise if a hose was connected, by mistake, to a tank in which there was not enough room to take the petrol being delivered. The resulting spillage could be catastrophic and it is for this reason that the careful numbering of the installation is required.
A competent person, not the tanker driver, must be in charge of the storage tank before delivery begins; he must ensure there is room in the storage tank for the quantity of petrol it is proposed to deliver. He must prepare and sign, in duplicate a certificate showing the quantity and grade of petrol to be delivered and the number of the tank in which the delivery is to be made. One copy of the certificate must be given to the tanker driver and the other retained by the licensee. Both copies must be retained for six months.
The tanker driver and the person in charge of the storage tank must both keep a constant watch during the whole time the delivery is taking place and must ensure that no spillage occurs. The engine of the tanker must not be running while the delivery is being made.
Schedule 2 of the Regulations deals with the construction of road tankers used for carrying petroleum spirit. The body of these vehicles and their fittings must be strongly constructed of fire resisting material. Only vehicles propelled by an internal combustion engine may be used.
The absolute maximum carrying capacity of a tanker is 30 cum, (30,000 litres or 6,600 gallons). The capacity must not exceed 6.9 cum (6,900 litres, 1,518 gallons) unless the outfit has been approved by the Health and Safety Executive as being of suitable design. The capacity of the carrying tank of a trailer must not exceed 4.6 cum.
The engine, the exhaust system and the battery fitted to the tanker must must be efficiently screened from the body of the vehicle by a fire resisting shield carried down to at least the top of the chassis frame and upwards to the top of the tank or, if the roof of the cab of the vehicle is of fire resisting material and is without opening, to the top of the cab.
Where the fuel to propel the vehicle has a flash point of less than 65°C, the fuel tank must not be behind the shield unless it is protected by stout steel guards or by the frame of the vehicle. The filler cap must be provided with a lock and the fuel feed pump must be fitted in front of the shield. The electrical system of the vehicle must not exceed 24 volts; it must not be of the earth ,return type; the circuits must be heavily insulated; the wiring fixed and protected from any risk of damage; the battery must be in an easily accessible position; and the battery, generator, switches and fuses must be in front of the fire resisting shield. A means of cutting off the current close to the battery by means of a double pole switch or other suitable method must be provided in an easily accessible position. Circuits which are intrinsically safe for petroleum spirit may be connected to the battery side of that switch.
Filling pipes fitted to a tanker must be either carried down to the bottom of the tank and terminate in such a way as to provide, at all times, a liquid seal at the bottom of the pipe of a depth of at least 130 mm when the vehicle is on level ground, or be fitted with an efficient flame trap. Specifications are also included in the regulations for ventilation openings, manholes and dipping pipes.
The carrying tank may be either a component part of the frame of the vehicle or a separate tank securely fastened to the vehicle's frame. In the former case, a carrying tank will comply with the regulations if, though removable, it is securely fastened to a cradle. A carrying tank of more than Scum capacity must be divided into self-contained compartments, no one of which must be more than 5 cum capacity.
Draw off pipes must be fitted with strong and secure taps, screwcaps and internal valves. Those situated at the side of the vehicle must be either enclosed in a stout box of hard wood or other suitable material provided with a lock, or provided with locks and protected against blows by a stout steel guard or by the frame of the vehicle. Those fitted at the rear must be protected in a similar way, unless, in the case of a composite vehicle, the draw off taps do not project beyond the back of the vehicle and are 'adequately protected against damage from collision.
The lower part of the rear of the carrying tank must be protected against blows by stout steel guards or by the frame of the vehicle.
Although the bulk of these regulations come into effect on January 1, 1982, those requiring an operator to obtain information from the consignor concerning the load, and those for information concerning the load to be carried on the vehicle and for the training of drivers, need not be complied with until January 1, 1983. Regulation 7 which deals with the examination of tanks does not come into effect until January 1, 1984.
Petrol tankers and those carrying Carbon Disulphide ,which are in use immediately before the new Regulations apply will be deemed to comply with the Regulations providing they comply with the Petroleum Spirit (Conveyance by Road) Regulations 1957 or the Carbon Disulphide (Conveyance by Road) Regulations 1958.